Battered but not Broken
by Janelle1002luvsBrucas
Summary: Brooke Davis is brutally beaten when Clothes over bros is broken into. How will she cope and what happens when the one who wants to be there for her the most is the one person she wants to give up. Based on 6.02..It's gonna be a Brucas!
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hey guys, so I know I'm writing "Only one tree Hill" go check that out if you haven't, I'd actually be willing to get a co -writer to help me out on that if anyone wants to cause I'm kinda stuck, but anyhow, I watched Monday's epi, and I hate what they did to Brooke, so I thought I'd write a fanfic on after 6.02 so here it is, I think I'll make it a one-shot, we'll see how it goes, I'm not sure yet, Read and review!

"_She was fiercely independent. Brooke Davis. Brilliant and beautiful and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is gonna change the world someday and I'm not sure she even knows it"_

As Brooke Davis lay in a pool of her own blood, the words of Lucas Scott replayed in her head like a broken record. She tried to move as she had so many times before in the last hour but the pain was unbearable. She let hear head fall to the ground and Brooke Davis wept.

Brilliant, and beautiful and brave? Yeah right.

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Brooke stood in front of the mirror in her hallway staring at her reflection. She had been standing in the same position for the past half an hour.

"I'm hideous" she whispered

She flipped open her cell phone and dialed the number she had so many times before.

"Hi, it's Brooke, I know this is out of the blue but do you think you could meet me at my store?" she said into the phone

"Yeah, I'll be right over" the voice on the other end replied

Brooke stood in front of the store counter playing with the rings on her fingers.

The front door opened and she heard the sharp intake of breath "Oh my god, Brooke"

"Hi" Brooke said softly

"Honey, what happened were you robbed?" Nathan asked walking quickly towards her

She turned to face him, slowly pulling off the oversized sunglasses hiding her face

"Last night" she whispered

"Oh my God" Nathan muttered, He pulled her into his arms

"I'm not gonna cry" Brooke told him leaning her head on his shoulder "I'm not gonna cry". She pulled away and walked to the counter pulling her compact out of her purse trying to cover up her bruises with her face powder.

"Did you call the police?" he asked her

"No, I don't want to"

"Brooke, you have to file a police report, or your insurance company won't accept a claim."

"I don't want to" she said harshly "I have plenty of money for this"

"Look do you know what's missing" he asked gently

"Computer, cash from the register, and the sketches from my new line"

"Oh Brooke, I'm so sorry, I really think we need to call the police" he said resting his hand on her shoulder

"No, I don't want the press involved in this, so you can't tell anyone OK? Not Lucas and Peyton, not even Haley, or anyone…..please" she said quietly

"O.K" Nathan said pulling her into another hug

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"Brooke, I'm home" Peyton called out

"O.K, don't freak out" Brooke shouted back to her emerging from the shadows

"Oh my god" Peyton whispered "Brooke, what happened? She said walking towards her

"Lindsay came by, and she said Peyton's a bitch, and I said Peyton's not a bitch, and she said yes she is, and I said maybe you're the bitch, bitch and…" she trailed off pointing to her face "but you should see her face"

"Brooke"

"I was doing laundry, and I got tangled up in one of the sheets and I fell face first down the stairs" she mumbled

"Honey, I'm sorry I wasn't here, Why didn't you call me?"

"I did, but you said you were getting married"

"Is that why you sounded so bad on the phone? Oh Brooke I'm so sorry" Peyton said reaching out to pull her into a hug

"Oh, it's OK" she said pulling back "I'm too sore to hug…..but Congratulations"

"Oh Brooke"

"I really am happy for you P.Sawyer" Brooke told her

"Thanks Brooke, I'm gonna miss this though"

"Me too" Brooke replied.

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Brooke sat on her sofa eating Ben & Jerry's from the container when the doorbell rang. She dropped the carton and curled into a ball.

"Brooke, you're car's outside so I know you're here…its Lucas, open up!"

"_Great" she said to herself…Maybe he'll think I'm sleeping_

"I know you're up, you never leave the lights on when you go to sleep."

"Damn it" she muttered "I'm coming!" She pulled open the door and stood face to face with Lucas

"Oh my God" Brooke he said pushing past her and closing the door behind him "What the hell happened?" he said gently caressing the side of her face

"Didn't Peyton tell you, I fell down the stairs"

"Look, Peyton may have fallen for that piece of crap but I won't" he said "Now what happened Brooke"

"I-My store-Somebody broke in, and he-well-he took a few swings at me"

"A few swings at you, Brooke have you seen your face? He took more than a few goddamn swings at you" he shouted "He beat you to a pulp…Do the police have any leads?"

"No, because I didn't go to them"

"You didn't- You didn't go to them..Brooke are you crazy? We have to go to the police, get your stuff, we'll go right now."

"No, I don't want the press involved and I don't want anyone else to know, The only people that know the truth are you and Nathan and I want it to stay that way" she said

"Brooke" he said quietly

"Please Lucas" she whispered

"O.K"

"I'm tired Luke, I wanna go to sleep" she told him

"Will you call me, if you need me" he asked her

"Of course" she said

He kissed her on her forehead. "I'm so sorry pretty girl" he said walking towards the door.

She bolted the door behind him and walked slowly to her room. She smiled at the use of the familiar nickname he had used. _Pretty girl. _

"_God, I love him"_ she thought

She had never stopped loving Lucas Scott. But she knew she would never be his comet. She would never be his Peyton, so time after time she put her feelings aside so that her best friend could be with the man she loved. She closed her eyes, she knew she would never love anyone like she loved Lucas, and that was fine, she had no problem living on her own, it only gave her more time to get her store running again and to fight Victoria. She wasn't giving up Clothes over Bros without a fight.

"_This means war mother" _she said out loud before drifting off to sleep.

Yeah, so I decided to make it a short story after all, I'm thinking five chapters but lemme know what you think and If I should continue! Review my loves!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, they really meant a lot to me, some of you said you were worried about everything being almost word for word from 6.02, I did that intentionally, I will move on from there though so here's Chapter 2! I hope you like it! Don't forget to review

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Brooke pushed open the doors to Clothes over Bros and willed back the tears that threatened to fall when her eyes met the destruction before her. Clothes were strewn everywhere, mannequins lay in pieces on the floor, and her cash register lay empty on the counter. She had seen it all before but that didn't make it any easier. She walked to the back of the store and put her purse underneath the counter. She began picking clothes up from the floor and separating them into piles. Clothes that could be used again and clothes that were ruined and had to be thrown out. Jus t as she finished putting the last shirt in the pile to be thrown away the door of the shop opened and she looked up to meet Nathan's concerned gaze.

"Brooke" he said quietly

"Hi Nate" she said letting herself be pulled into his embrace.

"You should have called, you don't need to be doing this by yourself"

"I can handle it" she said stuffing clothes into a large garbage bag.

"I know you can handle it Brooke" he said "What I'm telling you is that you don't have to handle it by yourself.

"I know" she said leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek "But this is something that I need to do on my own, I won't let this defeat me" she said lifting her chin. He looked around the shop then his eyes met hers.

"You need anything you call me" he said walking towards the door "I mean it Brooke" he told her quietly closing the door behind him. She tied the garbage bag and kicked it to the side; she then set out to fix the mannequins when the door opened again

"Nathan Scott, I said I was fine" she said looking up "Oh….Lucas, it's you"

"Hi" he said walking towards her "I guess I just wanted to see what that asshole did for myself"

"Here you have it" she said as she stuck a mannequin's head back onto its body.

"Brooke are you sure you don't want to go to the police?"

"Lucas, I told you I don't want to" she said

"O.K, O.K I was just hoping you'd change your mind after you slept on it"

"I'm not going to change my mind on this" she said stubbornly

"You know who did this to you don't you?"

"W-What do you mean, how would I know" she asked not looking him in the eye.

"Brooke, look at me, do you know who did this?" he said his eyes never leaving hers

"I-Well-Victoria is trying to take the company, she needs my sketches to do that, and she knows it. I had them in a safe in the back, and they're gone too" she said quietly

"Oh Brooke" he said pulling her into his arms "I'm sorry…but this is even more reason to go to the police"

"I won't" she said pulling away from him "I'll handle it"

"You'll handle it!...Brooke, if your own mother is willing to hire someone to beat you up like a rag doll, who knows how far she'll go, you can't handle this alone"

""Yes I can" she said brushing back a tear "Shouldn't you be with your fiancé anyway?"

"I'm here for you Brooke, pleas e don't shut me out" he said gently touching her bruised face and ignoring her question "You want some help with this?

"I need to do it alone Luke….but thanks for asking…and thanks for coming"

"Call me if you need me" he said kissing her on the her forehead

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Lucas knocked on the front door of Nathan and Haley's house, and immediately heard running footsteps on the other side of the door

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie shouted as Lucas picked him up putting him on his back

"What's up Jim Jam?"

"You know Daddy didn't like you?" Jamie told him

"When"

"When he was dating mama"

"Good looking out" Lucas laughed putting him back on the floor as Haley entered the room. He pulled her into a hug

"Where you been Luke…………….with a certain blonde maybe?" she said winking at him

He smiled "We're engaged Hales"

"You're what!"

"I proposed to her"

"Luke are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with her?" she asked

"Of course I do, I love her"

"But are you in love with her" she asked him

"Of course I am, Haley what are you trying to say exactly?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry, Congratulations Luke" she said pulling him into a tight hug

"I want you to be my best man" he said smiling

"I'd love to" she laughed

"I gotta go, I'm meeting Peyton for lunch" he said walking towards the door "I'll call you later, Tell Nate for me will you" he called out

"I hope you know what you're doing" she whispered under her breath

"Mama, can I tell you a secret" Jamie asked playing with his mini basketball.

"Sure honey…what is it? Haley asked bending down in front of her son

"I always wanted Uncle Lucas to marry Aunt Brooke" Jamie whispered. Haley touched her forehead to his

"Me too buddy" she said "me too"

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	3. Chapter 3

Lucas pulled up to the river court, parked his car, and sat on a bench. He had been coming here to think whenever he had something on his mind for as long as he could remember. This was no exception. He wanted to respect Brooke's wishes, he really did but she was being ridiculous, he unconsciously clenched his fists as he thought of her bruises. What kind of a woman was Victoria? How could she do that to her own child?

"Hey handsome" someone called out from behind him interrupting his thoughts. He turned around and their eyes met. The woman he had always loved.

"Mom!" he shouted jumping off the bench he sat on and lifting her off her feet. He buried his face in her hair "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I missed you" she said wiping a tear from her eye "Oh, I missed you Lucas Scott"

'I missed you too mom….Is Lily here, and Andy" he asked looking back at her car

"Well they're in Tree Hill but they're back at home, you weren't there so I figured you were here, I told them I'm come and check...What's wrong Lucas" she asked pulling him back to the bench

"Why does something have to be wrong?" he asked quizzically

"I'm your mother Luke, and you're sitting here and not playing basketball, I know something has to be wrong"

"I guess you're right" he laughed "You won't believe this mom but Victoria hired someone to break into Brooke's store and steal her sketches, Brooke was there when it happened, and he-he the guy she hired…he beat her mom"

"Oh no! Poor Brooke….Is she O.K?"

"No, I don't think she is, I mean physically she's pretty banged up but you know Brooke, she wants to handle everything herself, she doesn't even want to go the police, and I don't know if I should respect her wishes or go to the cops anyway"

"Oh Lucas" she said pulling him into another hug "You'll figure it out, I know you will"

"I do have some happy news" he said smiling "Peyton and I are engaged"

"You're….Peyton…..engaged…..Wow!" she said

"You don't sound too excited"

"Oh Lucas, I am!" she paused "I do have one question though, do you notice that you told me about Brooke before you told me about Peyton?"

He looked at her "That's only because she was on my mind when you came….and everyone knows you give the bad news before you give the good news"

"Are you sure that's the only reason Lucas?"

"What are you saying Mom?"

"Is this what you want?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that, yes, I love her mom, I'm in love with Peyton Sawyer" he said taking Karen's hand in his.

She brought his hand to her lips "Congratulations then" she said

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"_But the same words Lucas!!, the exact same words!!_

_I never sent that letter to Peyton_

_And I never sent my letters to you either but they still meant something. Just tell me, Why me …this time, why not Peyton?_

_I can't say anything bad about Peyton, she's my friend…and she's your best friend_

_That's O.K, you can say bad things about her_

_Oh Brooke…..the truth is I care about Peyton_

_Then what is the difference_

_The difference……The difference is I love you Brooke….I wanna be with you….not Peyton_

_But why? I need to know why_

_Because you kink your eyebrow…when you're trying to be cute, because you quote K-Moo, even though I've never actually seen you read, and because you miss your parents but you'll never ever admit that..And because I've given exactly two of these embarrassing speeches in my entire life and they've both been with you, I mean that's gotta count for something right…and because we're both gonna get pneumonia…but if you need to hear why I love you…I could go on all night_

_You did pretty good…."_

Brooke shook the memory from her head and scolded herself for having daydreams about her best friend's fiancé, "_You're not that girl Brooke" _she reminded herself._" He's not yours anymore"_. She put the last dress back on the rack, and hugged herself. It was starting to look like her store again. She smiled. She grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the broken glass on the floor when she heard the door open

"_After this, I lock the damn door_" she thought to herself looking up.

"OH MY GOD KAREN!" she squealed, dropping the broom and running into the older woman's open arms

"Oh Brooke honey" she said hugging her tightly "Lucas told me what happened"

"Oh" was all Brooke said not wanting to let go

"Lucas told me everything that happened Brooke"

"You're son's got a big mouth" Brooke said finally pulling away

"And a big heart" Karen said touching Brooke's shoulder "He's really worried about you Brooke"

"I'm fine Karen….I'll have the store up and running again by next week" she said walking to the counter and closing the empty cash register

"He told me about the engagement"

"Isn't it great" Brooke said quietly "I know they'll be happy together"

"Do you really think so Brooke?" Karen asked looking at her

"What do you mean, of course, they're soul mates"

"You won't hear me tell you that isn't true, I do think that Lucas and Peyton have a connection that can't be broken……….do I think she's the one for him…….no"

"You don't" Brooke asked her meeting her steady gaze

"The first day I met you Brooke, when you couldn't stop talking about how much you cared about Lucas…well actually you just couldn't stop talking"

They both laughed

"I never wondered if it was you from that day on Brooke, I think you're the one for Lucas…you still love him don't you."

"it doesn't matter now does it…He's engaged to Peyton, and I won't come between them, I won't' do to her what she did to me"

"I'm not worried" Karen said "People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end" She smiled.

"I missed you Karen"

"Oh I missed you too Brooke" Karen said pulling her into another tight embrace

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_There are 82 letters in here and they're all addressed to you, I wrote them all this summer…one a day but I never sent this because I was afraid…._

_Brooke….._

_I was afraid of getting my heart broken…like before…because you hurt me so bad and I was afraid to be vulnerable and I was afraid of you and the way that you make me feel and I know that doesn't matter now after what I did but I just thought that you should know….. This is how I spent my summer Luke…wanting you…I was just too scared to admit it…..  
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_Brooke……I'm sorry….what you did with Chris…it's O.K_

_It's not, it can't be, it's too much to forgive_

_Well that's too bad because I forgive you_

_You can't_

_I just did, so you're just gonna have to deal with it….I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis, and I know I hurt you last time we were together but-_

_I love you_

_I love you too…pretty girl…._

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"Lucas" Peyton said waving her hand in front his face interrupting his day dream

"What were you thinking about? I've been calling your name for the past five minutes"

"Sorry" Lucas said wrapping his arms around her as she sat in his lap

"Where do you wanna go for dinner" she asked

"I don't believe I haven't told you, my mom's here, she's making us dinner" he told her

"Your mom's here??…Lucas! How could you forget to tell me that…well…did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"Lucas Scott…what's wrong with you? Did you tell her we're engaged?"

"Oh, yes, of course I did"

"Oh, I can't wait to see her, I'm gonna go get dressed" she said leaving for the bedroom

Lucas flipped open his phone and dialed Brooke's number; He was greeted by her voice mail.

"Hey, it's me, Brooke! I'm too busy to come to my phone right now; I'm probably with some hot guy doing something illegal in the back of his car, ha! I bet you I'm at work drawing fabulous sketches, leave me a message though, and I'll call you back if I feel like it! Bye!

Even though he had heard it before he couldn't help but laugh

"Oh Brooke" he said out loud "Why can't I stop thinking about you

Little did he know across town Brooke was thinking the exact same thing about him

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_Look Brooke, I need you to listen to me O.K, I understand that you didn't know about the kiss and I'm sorry for springing it on you, but I meant what I said…. it didn't mean anything_

_A kiss always means something_

_O.K maybe you're right, but it wasn't a romantic moment and you would know that if you were-_

_If what…. I was there? As you so sweetly pointed out at the party, the party that I threw for you I wasn't there, was I?_

_Is it impossible for you to forgive me……I forgave you_

_For what?_

_For sleeping with Chris Keller_

_And you know what Lucas, I loved you for that……. you had such grace in that moment that I fell in love with you all over again, I can't believe that you would use it now as a bargaining chip!_

_No, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I need you to trust me and believe me when I tell you my heart's with you…but a part of me feels like ever since we got back together you've just been waiting….waiting to push me away_

_Oh...great….you kiss Peyton…AGAIN! And I'm pushing you away!...GOD! Why did I make everybody identical purses as wedding gifts?_

_I love you Brooke, I don't know how else to say it_

_How about how you show it, I am not pushing you away Lucas, I am holding on for dear life but I need you to need me back, OK why wouldn't you tell me about the kiss, and why didn't you call me while you were away and why won't you ever just let me all the way in……….we have to go and give our toasts now…about love_

_Please don't be mad Brooke_

_I'm not mad Lucas….I'm not mad_

"Why can't I stop thinking about you Lucas" Brooke asked herself as the memory faded grabbing her keys from the counter, she picked up her purse, and locked the door behind her. "I've gotta stop this" she said out loud as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home "_Those days are over, and they're never coming back"_


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Luke" Mouth called out as he walked onto the river court

"Hey Luke" Mouth called out as he walked onto the river court.

"Hey man" Lucas said "Where you been, I haven't seen you in a while"

"I been working…my boss is the devil himself" Mouth said laughing "So I heard you're engaged…to Peyton"

"Yeah" Lucas said smiling

"Yeah"

"This is the part where you say Congratulations Lucas"

"Oh, of course, sorry man….I guess I just always thought it would be Brooke" Mouth said

"Seems a lot of people thought it would be Brooke" he said smiling "Have you spoken to her….how is she" Lucas asked

"I actually just came from the store; she's got it looking great, it doesn't even look like it was broken into a week ago"

"That's Brooke Davis for you" Lucas said shaking his head

"Are you really over her Luke"

"You know what Mouth, I don't think I'll ever really be over Brooke Davis, and if you were ever in love with her, you'd know what I mean" Lucas said smiling "But I gotta go man" he said heading towards his car "I'll catch you later man"

"Trust me, I know what you mean….I just hope you know what you're giving up Luke" he muttered under his breath.

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"Hey P. Sawyer" Brooke said smiling as Peyton entered the store

"Brooke, it looks amazing, you'd never be able to tell someone broke in here at all"

"I know" Brooke said twirling around

"And you did this all by yourself"

"Well almost" she answered "Mouth was in here this morning, and he helped me a little bit, but besides that, I did everything else"

"That's incredible Brooke…..I'm really happy you're getting through this, and to think I was worried about you" she said smiling

"I have to get through this Peyton, I have no choice"

"So have you heard from Victoria at all?" Peyton asked

Brooke shrugged her shoulders "Not yet, it's not like I'm sitting by the phone waiting for her to call, if she never calls again, it'll be too soon"

"I know what you mean" Peyton told her leaning on the counter

"Listen P. Sawyer, your dress is gonna be ready for you to try on later so come back at around 4, I can't wait for you to see it!"

"O.K, I'll be back then, I'm gonna bring Haley too, I want all of us together when I try it on for the first time"

"O.K see you then best friend" Brooke said as Peyton gently closed the door behind her.

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"Hello, Is this Brooke Davis?"

"Yes it is" Brooke said into the receiver "How can I help you?"

"Brooke, my name is Margaret Fields; I work with the agency that found Angie for you"

"Angie? Oh my god, is she O.K, is it an after effect of the surgery?"

"No, no, no nothing like that" she said quickly "This may actually seem like a stupid question but did you take Angie to a zoo while she was with you?"

"A zoo, no I don't think I did" Brooke told her "Why?"

"Well it seems she can say only one word, and well its _monkey_"

Brooke laughed "Monkey….well I bought her a little stuffed purple monkey…but I forgot to send it to her..I'm sure that's what she wants"

"Well, I hope this isn't too much to ask but would you be able to bring it here so we could send it to her, I know she'd love to have it"

"Oh, of course, I'll bring it right over" Brooke told her

She knocked on Lucas' door and fumbled with her keys as she waited. When she noticed his rumpled appearance she knew she had woken him up.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry for waking you up"

"Brooke, what's wrong? Are you O.K? He asked looking concerned

" it's just that well I know I gave it back to you but Angie's asking for the monkey, and I'm gonna go take it over to her so I was wondering if well, maybe I--,"

"Of course, come inside" he said pulling her in" I'll go get it"

He returned the monkey in his arms "You want some company? He asked "I know It's a long drive"

"No, it's O.K, I can go by myself"

"I wanna go with you Brooke"

"That would be great Luke" she said smiling

Let me go throw some clothes on he said disappearing behind his bathroom door.

The drive was indeed a long one. But Brooke didn't mind. She and Lucas talked the entire way and by the time they got to the agency Brooke was still in a fit of giggles. She had forgotten he had a sense of humor in sync with her own and she missed just hanging out with him. He opened her door for her as they walked into the agency and he waited in the waiting room as she spoke to the receptionist. She gave them the small bag with the monkey inside, and walked back to Lucas

"I really hope she gets it" she said

"She will, don't worry" he said rising to his feet "Are you ready?"

"Yes" she told him "I'll drive" she said a smirk on her face.

Brooke smiled as she looked over at Lucas who was fast asleep in the front seat. Her smile faded as the wheel vibrated under her hands, and a thick smoke rose from under the hood. She pulled over to the side and looked over at Lucas who woke up when a loud noise erupted from the car

"Brooke, how long has that light been on?" he asked pointing to the dashboard "Ever since we left the agency, I thought it was pretty" she said "I guess I should have said something"

"Yeah Brooke, you should have said something" he said opening his door and popping open the hood of the car. She walked up next to him and asked him worriedly "So…can you fix it Luke?"

"No, not tonight anyway, you need a new battery Brooke, and it's late, we're not gonna be able to get one tonight"

"So what are we gonna do? Brooke's voice rose and her gaze shifted from the car to Lucas

"We're gonna have to find a hotel" he said closing the hood of the car "Let's start walking cheery" he said tugging at a strand of her hair

"I feel like we've been walking for hours Luke"

He smiled "We're in luck, there's a bed and breakfast"

"Yes!" Brooke said pumping her fist in the air "Come on Lucas, pick up the pace"

"Hi, can we get two rooms" Lucas said walking to the desk

"No, I'm sorry but you can't"

"Are you saying there are no rooms available?" Brooke asked the receptionist worriedly

"Not at all" she said "but I can only give you one room so if you're willing to share, you're in luck"

Brooke cast a sideways glance at Lucas who met her gaze

"It's up to you"

Brooke didn't have to think long. The curious excitement that surged through her at the thought of spending a night with him was enough to send up a warning flag. Brooke had long ago resolved that she wouldn't place herself in any situation to tempt herself. This was her best friend's fiancé, there was no way she was spending the night with him.

"This can't be our only option" Brooke said "There have to be some motels nearby that would have two rooms available"

"I can give you a list and some numbers, but there's a convention in town and I think you'll find them all in the same boat we are"

"We'd still like to check" Brooke said

"I can hold the room for half an hour. But I'll have to know by then if you want it or not" the proprietor said apologetically "I have others calling

"I understand" Brooke said. She knew the room situation would be tight, but she couldn't believe there weren't two rooms available in the whole area. Twenty-five minutes and a dozen phone calls later Brooke conceded defeat. Brooke clicked off the phone and turned to Lucas.

"I guess you and I are going to have to be roomies after all"

"Do you want to share a room?" Lucas' gaze searched hers. "I mean, is that okay with you?"

Brooke looked into his face and her heart fluttered. No, it wasn't okay with her. The thought of spending the night in the same room with Lucas was way too appealing to be okay.

"I don't think we have a choice" Brooke sighed. "Between the two of us, we've called every place in a 20 mile radius and they're all full.

"There is one other option" Lucas said quietly "You could take the room and I could go sleep in the car"

"No way" Brooke shook her head. "We're two responsible adults. Just because we sleep in the same room together doesn't mean anything"

Lucas' gaze lingered on her face and her heart flip-flopped. "I'm gonna call Peyton and tell her what happened"

Brooke's gaze followed him out into the hall. He looked so cute in his jeans and navy shirt.

"_Oh yeah, it's gonna be a long, long night" _she thought to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanx for the reviews guys, they were gr8! Thank you stagediva23 for your idea! Hope you guys like this chapter and I'd love to hear any suggestions for where you want the story to go! Xoxo!_

Lucas looked up from the black and red checkerboard and flashed Brooke a triumphant smile, "King me"

She groaned "This game is rigged; we should have known when the receptionist told us she found in the store room."

"You still have a chance"

"I don't think so, you have five kings and I have none." She pushed back from the table and walked to the window. Lucas let his gaze linger. He wondered how she could still take his breath away in the simple white tank top and snug black pants she wore. Her hair was up in a high ponytail making her look like she was sixteen again, back when she was his.

"_Hey guys…You got a second?"_

"_Sure, what's up?"_

"_I'm the guy for you…I know we're only part time, and that's cool, do whatever ,have your fun but one of these nights you're gonna realize it, I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis, you'll see.."_

"Lucas, are you even listening to me" Brooke asked him loudly as the memory faded

"Sorry I zoned out for a minute there..what did you say?"

"I said, I think we should just make it a tie" she said smiling. He laughed

"O.K Cheery, it's a tie"

"Good, now onto more serious things…We have to be responsible adults who keep our hands to ourselves at all times tonight" she said looking at him

"I think I can refrain from jumping on you Brooke"

"O.K, I was just putting it out there"

"I love Peyton; I'm not cheating on her"

"That's great Luke" she said standing up "I'm gonna go take a walk". She let the door slam behind her

"_Damn it" _Lucas said out loud as she left

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"So you want the right side of the bed or the left?" Lucas called out to Brooke who was in the bathroom.

She groaned. She entered the room and her gaze shifted to the floor. She knew hardwood floors could be cold, maybe he'd be warm enough if she gave him the comforter off the bed.

A knock sounded at the door before she could answer his question. She opened the door and the owner stood at the opposite end. She held out a stack of blankets. "These are for you"

"Thanks" Brooke said as she took the bundle and set them on the bed

"I thought you could use some extra blankets and I found an old air mattress"

"Actually we were just about to discuss who would get the floor" Brooke said "So you couldn't have come at a better time."

"Ah..Well then, that's good…Sleep tight" she said as she shut the door behind her

"Right..sleep tight..on the floor" Lucas muttered

"Not on the floor Broody," Brooke smiled kinking her eyebrow "On the air mattress"

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Brooke jerked upright in bed, her body drenched in sweat, her heart pounding. Her chest hurt and she could barely breathe

"_It's just a dream, just a dream" _she said to herself. Her quiet sobs woke Lucas who sat on the bed next to her pulling her into his arms

"hey, hey, hey…what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a bad dream" she said

"Some bad dream to have you crying like this…..wait, you're dreaming about the robbery aren't you?"

She didn't answer him "Brooke..maybe you should talk to someone about this"

"I'm not crazy Lucas" she said pulling away from him and walking towards the window her back facing him. Lucas moved to her side , wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close

"I don't mean a shrink Brooke…Talk to Peyton, Haley, Nathan…damn it, talk to me Brooke…"

She turned to him and buried her face in his chest. She broke down, heart wrenching sobs that she had been holding in since the robbery

"There it is…let it out" he said holding her close

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Lucas looked down at Brooke who was sound asleep in the crook of his elbow, she had finally fallen asleep after more than an hour of crying.

"_You're gonna be okay pretty girl…"_ he whispered as he brushed his lips across her forehead. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and eased out of bed, walking towards the bathroom so as not to disturb Brooke.

"Peyton" he said into the receiver

"Luke, did I wake you?" she asked

"No, I couldn't sleep, Brooke had a nightmare and I just got her back to bed"

"Is she okay?" Peyton asked the concern evident in her voice

"I don't know, I'm worried about her, she won't talk about it"

"She'll be fine, she's strong, and she's Brooke"

"That's just it, everyone thinks because she's strong she doesn't need anyone to lean on. Everyone needs a shoulder sometime Peyton" he snapped at her

"Look, I didn't call to talk about Brooke"

"I'm sorry" he sighed "What are you doing up so late"

"I miss you..It's weird sleeping here without you" she said quietly

"I'll be home tomorrow..I promise"

"O.K, I'll let you go to sleep…I love you Luke"

"I love you too"

"_I think"_ he thought to himself before falling into a deep sleep


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Hey loves, shout outs to team brucas (yess Brucas is my endgame!) I'm happy you guys like the story so far, your reviews lift me up where I belong and make me wanna post faster so keeeep reviewing, I love to hear what you guys think! Xoxo!_

"_Brooke, this isn't what it looks like…anyways I don't get why you're so upset"_

"_You're kidding right?"_

"_You're the one who wanted to be non-exclusive; I'm just doing what you wanted"_

"_What I wanted?...I wanted you to fight for me, I wanted you to say that there was no one else you could ever be with and that you'd rather be alone than be without me. I wanted the Lucas Scott from the beach that night telling the world that he was the one for me!"_

"_How was I supposed to know that?"_

"_You just are"_

"Lucas wake up!" Brooke said as she pulled the blanket off his body "We've got to go get the car fixed and get home...I have a wedding dress to finish broody boy"

"Five more minutes Brooke" he said as he turned away from her "Please"

"Nope, we have to get a move on" she said as she stood on his back

"Ahhh…O.K, O.K, get off….I'll get up". She jumped down, and grabbed her clothes off the bed. I'm gonna go grab a shower"

"And I'm gonna catch ten more minutes" he muttered under his breath pulling the covers over his head

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"Finally" Brooke said as she slipped into the front seat of the car "You can drive this time Luke". He laughed

"I still don't believe you thought the engine light was a pretty decoration Brooke"

"Anybody could have made the mistake" she grumbled

"Sure Cheery" he said laughing

The ride back seemed shorter than before and they were at Lucas' house in no time

"Thanks for coming with me Luke, I really appreciate it" she said as she slipped into the driver's seat

"Whenever you need me, I'm here for you Brooke, you know that right?"

"Yeah of course" she said as she started the car

"You wanna come in for a little bit, say hi to Peyton" he asked

"No, its O.K, I know she missed you, she's gonna want you all to herself, tell her to come by the store later" she said as she pulled away

"Bye Luke" she called out the open window

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Brooke looked up as she heard the store door open and smiled.

"Hey tutor mom" Brooke said as she pulled Haley into a tight hug

"Hey tigger…Peyton's not here yet? She asked

"Nope"

"Good….Can I ask you something?" Haley asked

"Yeah, sure…what's up Hales?" she asked looking up at her

"Umm- are you okay with…with Lucas and Peyton...You know-getting married?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she asked looking back down at the sketches she was drawing

"Look at me Brooke….You're one of my best friends…and so is Lucas…and I see the way you both still look at each other…you still love him don't you?"

"It's doesn't matter how I feel about Lucas Haley, he's with Peyton…he's with my best friend, and I will not do to her what she did to me, besides they belong together, she's the one for him, she always was"

"What happened to people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end?"

"It looks like they did find their way together doesn't it?"

"Brooke, I really think-"

"Look Haley, I don't want to talk about this anymore"

"Talk about what?" Peyton asked opening the door and walking towards them

"Nothing" Brooke said looking away from Haley "I'm glad you're here P. Sawyer, I can't wait for you to see the dress, I think it's my best yet" she said clapping her hands "Come on girlies" she said walking towards the back of the store. Haley and Peyton both gasped at the same time.

"Brooke..It's exquisite" Haley said gently touching the sleeve

"What do you think Peyton" Brooke asked looking back at her

"I'm speechless "she said pulling Brooke into her arms "Thank you B. Davis….I don't believe this is really happening, I'm really going to be Mrs. Lucas Scott" she smiled

"It's really happening "Brooke said looking back at the dress

"_You're gonna be Mrs. Lucas Scott and not me…" _she thought to herself

"Alright, let's get this baby on you and see how it fits" she said pushing her thoughts out of her head.

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"Hey Nate, can we talk man?" Lucas asked Nathan who was shooting baskets in the school gym

"Yeah man" Nathan said walking over taking a gulp from his water bottle "What's up man?" he asked sitting down on the bleachers

"It's about Peyton, or maybe it's about Brooke…I don't know, I'm just so damn confused"

"Oh, you're having second thoughts are you?"

"Yeah" he replied

"Look Luke, let me ask you something, who is the first person you think of when you wake up and the last person you think of before you go to sleep?"

"Brooke" he said quietly "But that's just because I've been worried about her lately"

"Are you sure that's the only reason…I'm going to be honest with you man…you never talk about anybody like you talk about Brooke…I guess I always thought it would be Brooke in the end"

"I swear everybody keeps saying that" Lucas mumbled

"Look man, follow your heart Lucas, life's too short, I look at Haley and I wonder how I would have survived if I didn't have her in my life…Ask yourself the question…Who can't you live without?"

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"_I waited for you this morning"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I just figured since it's the first day of school the guy for me would pick me up, bring me flowers, maybe a bagel…..just saying….not impressive"_

"_I had a couple things to take care of…"_

"_Hmmnn"_

"_Ahh…you totally pimped my locker"_

"_Yep…it's very exclusive"_

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"Luke I'm home!" Peyton called out

"Hey" he said walking towards her kissing her on the cheek

"So, I tried on my dress" she said smiling

"Oh..that's cool" he said walking to his desk and opening his laptop

"Oh…that's cool…that's all you have to say"

"Uhh…what else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to ask if I liked it..I want you to say you can't wait to see me in it…I want you to care Lucas"

"I do care…and I can't wait to see you in it" he said his eyes fixed on his laptop

"Are you getting cold feet Lucas?"

"What?"

"You heard me…are you getting cold feet…do you still want to marry me?"

"Yes…I want to marry you" he said finally looking up at her

"Why?"

"Because I love you"

"Why?"

"Why what Peyton?" he asked

"Why me?"

The question took him back…..to a time when Brooke asked him the same question

"_Why me…this time, why not Peyton?"_

"Lucas…I said why me….why do you love me?" she asked bringing him back to the present

"A lot of reasons…you're beautiful, you're smart, you're funny, we're soul mates" he said trying to convince himself as much as the woman standing before him

"It just doesn't seem like you're excited about the wedding, about us" she said walking towards him and sitting on his lap.

"I am…it's just that I think I'll leave the planning up to you" he said

"I can't wait to be your wife" she said kissing him.

He waited for the jolt of electricity. He waited for the heat…for the passion… for the world to spin like it did when he just looked at Brooke but it never came. They pulled apart and he smiled at her

"I love you Luke" she said

"I love you too Peyton" he told her

She rose from where she sat and walked to the kitchen. "I'm gonna make something for us to eat…then you can have me for dessert afterwards" she said winking at him

"_What am I gonna do?" _He thought to himself as he went back to typing.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Hey guys, Thanx once again for the reviews, shout outs again to my faithful reviewers Sophia-Chad, tanya2byour21, princesskarlita411, brucasfan23, and teamxxbrucasxx…you guys make me smile ___

_Knock! Knock!_

"Gimme a sec!" Lucas called out as he finished buttoning his shirt. He pulled opened the door and smiled.

"Hey Andy, what's up?"

"Lucas, Hi, Oh you're going out?"

"Yeah, dinner with the wedding party…"

"Sounds fun"

Lucas rolled his eyes "You have no idea…but what's up?"

"Well…I never really congratulated you on the engagement…I'm happy for you Luke"

"Thanks Andy and I never really thanked you"  
"For what?" Andy asked a confused expression on his face

"For making my mom happy again..for bringing her smile back" Andy smiled as he walked towards the door "Marriage is a beautiful thing Lucas, and being with the one you love is incredible, I'm really happy you can experience it…Have fun tonight" he said closing the door behind him

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Lucas walked into Karen's café, and walked up to the counter, giving his mom a kiss on the cheek

"Hey beautiful"

"Hey Luke…Brooke's the only one here, she's right over there" she told him pointing to a corner booth where Brooke sat, her eyes glued to the magazines spread out in front of her

"Thanks mom…Can I get a beer?"

"Sure, I'll bring it right over"

"Hey cheery" Lucas said bending down giving Brooke a quick kiss on the cheek

"Broody, which blue do you like better…I like this one, but I think it may be a little too dark...but then this one is just too light…What do you think?"

Lucas laughed "Well, Uhhh…How about that one?" he asked pointing to the first color on the page that caught his attention

"Oh Lucas…that's the ugliest thing I've ever seen"

"I thought the color for weddings was white" he said

"Well of course it's white Lucas, but we need an accent color…" she said "You know for the flowers, decorations…oh just forget it…look at this menu me and P. Sawyer put together this morning, Do you like everything?"

"Yeah this looks great" he said looking at the page in front of him

"What looks great?" Haley asked as she and Nathan slipped into the booth

"The menu" Lucas said as he slid it across the table so she could see it

"Haley, I'm almost finished with your dress, so we'll have your fitting tomorrow" Brooke said her eyes never leaving the colors on the page in front of her

"Hey guys" Peyton said slipping into the booth sitting next to Brooke "Sorry, I'm late"

"That's O.K," Brooke told her 'Now that we're all here, we can get down to business, Peyton already said she wanted the accent color to be blue, we need to pick a specific shade of blue, and of course, pick the dessert for the menu…"

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Brooke sat in front of her sewing machine, putting the finishing touches on Haley's wedding dress when the doorbell rang. Her heart dropped, and she jumped up sending the chair flying behind her. She walked slowly towards the door and quietly called out

"Who is it?"

"Open the door slut" came the voice on the other end

"Rachel" she whispered. She peeked out the peephole and laughed out loud. "Rachel" she squealed opening the door and pulling her inside and into her arms "What are you doing here?"

"I've been away from this place too damn long" she said "I hope—oh my god Brooke, what happened to your face?" she said finally noticing the fading bruises still noticeable on Brooke's face

"Oh, it's nothing, I fell down the stairs"

"You fell down the stairs…right…so what really happened?"

"Someone broke into the store…I was in his way" she said as she sat down next to Rachel

"Oh God Brooke, I'm so sorry" she said hugging her again "Does it hurt?"

"It all hurts" Brooke quietly replied

"What did he take?"

"Computer, cash, and the sketches from my new line"

"Son of a bitch" Rachel muttered. She looked back and noticed the unfinished dress under the sewing machine…"You never stop…do you? "

"It's Haley's bridesmaid dress" she told her "Lucas and Peyton are getting married"

"What!?...he picked Peyton?" she said loudly

Brooke smiled "Yeah…he picked Peyton" she said as she walked back to the sewing machine.

"Wow…I always thought he would pick you"

"I'm not the one for him"

"_So…what is the deal with you and Brooke anyway?"_

"_She's just not ready to commit"_

"_Right, that's usually what I tell guys I'm not really into"_

"_And she wants to make sure I'm serious about her plus_

_Plus what?_

_She's the one_

_Why_

_She just is...I feel it...You know Paschal says the heart has reason that reason cannot know_

_What did Paschal say about Chris Keller?_

_Sorry…Cheap shot…O.K take your shirt off_

_Rachel…_

_I'm not gonna touch you sissy virgin boy, I'm trying to make a point, take your shirt off_

_O.K_

_Alright…you say Brooke's the one...your soul mate, well if that's the case, call upon destiny or providence or whatever forces are gonna bring you two together and make the shot… blindfolded_

_This is ridiculous…_

_Come on, it's your destiny…you can't miss…O.K Can you see me? _

_No…_

_O.K…I trust you…now follow my voice, Brooke's the one, make the shot_

………………………………

_What happened?_

_It went it…Nice shot_

"Rach, did you hear me? Peyton's the one for him, not me"

"_We'll see about that" _Rachel though to herself "Look Brooke, I gotta go take care of something, I'll call you later" she said walking towards the door

"You just got here"

"I know…I'll be back...I promise, this won't take long" she said quietly closing the door behind her


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm not the most eloquent speaker…so I thought I'd borrow a couple words from Shakespeare…love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, when life get hard, when things change, true love remains the same, I look at Nathan and Haley and somehow

"_I'm not the most eloquent speaker…so I thought I'd borrow a couple words from Shakespeare…love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, when life get hard, when things change, true love remains the same, I look at Nathan and Haley and somehow I feel safer, I don't know if I can explain that but they give me hope, and I'm afraid to say it out loud because maybe if life finds out it'll try to beat it out of them and that would be a shame… because we all could use a little hope sometimes you know, that feeling that everything's gonna be okay…so...here's to Nathan and Haley, here's to hope, and here's to a love that will not alter.."_

_Knock, Knock!_

Lucas shook the longtime memory from his head and closed his laptop; He wasn't getting anything done anyway

_Knock, Knock, Knock!  
_"I'm coming!" he yelled out

He pulled open the door and his mouth dropped open

"Close your mouth…you'll catch flies" Rachel said as she walked past him

"Rachel…wow…how long has it been? What are you doing here?"

"It's been five years…but whose counting"

"How the hell are you Rachel" he asked pulling her into a hug

"I'm fine, I hear Congratulations are in order" she said pulling away

"Oh… yeah, I'm getting married" he said sitting on his bed "Peyton"

"You're getting married to the wrong person Lucas"

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't love Peyton"

"Of course I do" he said "What do you know about who I love Rachel"

"The basket went in Lucas"

"The basket went in? Right… O.K Rachel, you lost me…"

"You're a smart guy Lucas…figure it out…the basket went in…ask yourself if you're doing the right thing" she said closing the door behind her

"The basket went in…what is she talking ab--."

_Follow my voice…Brooke's the one…make the shot"_ As the memory faded he collapsed onto his bed…

"_You're the one Brooke…"_

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Brooke jumped at the sound of the doorbell "_Is Rachel back already?"_

"Rachel is that you?"

"No, it's Nathan"

She opened the door quickly "Hey Nate"

"Rachel's here" he asked

"Yeah, she surprised me about an hour ago; she was supposed to come back"

"How are you Brooke?"

"I'm fine…really"

"Yeah, that sounds like something I would say….Look, I know we're all busy with wedding plans and our busy schedules but that doesn't mean that your problems are any less important or that all of us aren't here for you…"

"Like I said…"

"You're fine, it's all good, you can handle it" he said cutting her off "Look I hope that's true and maybe it is, the thing is the two of us have been down very similar roads, we were in the same cliques, we both met the same pressures, same expectations, our parents were like children and we both grew into kinda bad versions of ourselves way too fast, so I think you know….I get it"

"They never really gave us a chance did they…our parents"

"They didn't know how…look the thing is you made your dream happen and even though I didn't quite get there, when it was taken away from I dealt with it alone, and it was stupid, selfish and wrong… so if your mom tries to take your dream away from you and you feel that same pain that I did… I sort of been there, O.K, and I'm gonna be kind of pissed off if you don't come and talk to me about it…Everything that you're doing for Lucas and Peyton when you have all this stuff going on with you…It doesn't surprise me that you're thinking of other people, that's not bad for a girl who never had a chance….Come here" he said pulling her into his arms  
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Lucas lay staring up at the ceiling

"Hey you" Peyton said climbing into the bed next to him and laying her head on his chest. "You okay?" she asked when he didn't answer

"You're not gonna like me very much when you hear what I have to say"

She sat up and looked at him worriedly "what's wrong Luke?"

"You're not the first person I think about when I wake up in the morning…you're not the last person I think about before I go to sleep…I close my eyes, and I don't see you…"

"What are you saying" Peyton asked cutting him off

"I'm saying I was wrong…We're not meant to be Peyton"

"Yes we are" she said tears welling in her eyes "Don't do this to me Lucas, I love you"

"And I love you Peyton, a part of my heart will always be yours…but I'm not in love with you"

She looked up at him, and her tear streaked face broke his heart "I'm so sorry Peyton" he said pulling her into his arms. She lay her head on his shoulder and mumbled quietly "I thought I was your comet"

"Peyton you deserve someone who's gonna love you like no one else can" she pulled away from him and eased out of the bed

"I'll be out in an hour"

"Peyton, it's late, you can stay the night"

"No…it's fine"

"I don't wanna lose your friendship Peyton"

"And I don't wanna lose you Lucas but we can't always get what we want can we?" she snapped at him throwing clothes into her open suitcase

"Please don't be mad Peyton"

She zipped up her suitcase, and swiped at the tears still falling from her eyes "Goodbye Lucas" she said grabbing her keys from the counter

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"_Look, I know it's been difficult for you lately, losing Keith, and your heart condition, and giving up basketball…l I feel like I've been keeping you close to me to try to protect you from those things, like I'm hanging on to the two of us for you …but not for me_

_Look, I'm sorry I kissed Peyton, I should have told you_

_It's not about that Luke, its not, I mean I thought that it was but this is not about her, this is about me…I love you Lucas, and I probably always will but we go days without having a meaningful conversation… and I used to miss you so much when that happened but it never seemed like you missed me and I guess because of It I stopped missing you…_

_Brooke_

_I'm sorry… I can't do this anymore_

_**There had to be something right, something that no one had ever said in the history of the world, something that could change this**_

_Brooke, I'm sorry_

_Yeah me too_

_**That wasn't it..**_

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_Knock, Knock, Knock!_

The loud knocks pulled Brooke out of her dream, and she tossed back the covers, and eased out of bed, she grabbed the bat leaning next to her bed, and tip toed to the door. She peeked out the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief, she pulled open the door

"Peyton, what are you doing here so la—whoa girlie what's wrong?" she asked as Peyton collapsed into her arms

"Lucas-he-we-he broke up with me" she mumbled from Brooke's shoulder

Let's go sit" Brooke said quietly leading her to the sofa "He broke up with you? Why?"

"He s-s-aid we're not meant to be together, he's n-not in love with me" she stuttered the tears flowing freely

"I'm so sorry P. Sawyer" she said stroking her hair

"I love him Brooke" she said "I love him so much"

"I know honey, I know"

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Lucas grabbed his ringing phone from the desk and sighed when he looked at the I.D

"How is she?" he asked

"She's a mess Lucas" Brooke said "What the hell is wrong with you…What changed?

"Nothing…Everything…Look, I just realized Peyton's not the one for me, I don't think she ever was"

"I wish you would have realized that before you proposed to her Lucas"

"I know, I know" he said quietly

"Look, I gotta go before she wakes up" she said

"Take care of her Brooke"


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I love you guys so much! Brucasfan23, sophia-chad, tanyabyour21, and princesskarlita411…you guys make me laugh! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews! I'm so happy that you guys are liking the story, so I'm thinking it's gonna be about 15 chaps, so we still have a little way to go, and I'm happy you guys liked Rachel, Someone else is coming back to tree hill next chapter! This chap is gonna be really short, just something to tie you guys over until I update a longer one! Reviewslove so leave me some sugar! Xoxo!_

"You have to eat something Peyton" Brooke told her sitting next to her on the bed

"I'm not hungry" Peyton said quietly

Brooke sighed "I'm gonna head over to the store…unless you want me to stay with you because I'll stay if you want me to"

"No, I wanna be my myself, you can go" she said turning away from Brooke

"You're gonna get through this P. Sawyer" Brooke whispered squeezing her shoulder "Call me if you need me"

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Brooke stepped out of her car and grabbed her purse from the front seat, she slipped off her sunglasses and smiled as she saw the flowers on the front doorstep

"_I'm here for you always; this is just a little reminder of how much I care"_

"Thanks Nate" she whispered to herself gently picking up the flowers "I wonder why he didn't sign it?" she said as she opened the door.

Brooke flipped open her phone, and dialed Nathan's cell phone

"Brooke….you O.K? You need me?" he asked on the other end

She laughed "I'm fine Nate…I was just calling to say thank you for the flowers, they made me smile" she said as she arranged them in a vase on the store counter.

"What flowers?"

"The flowers you left at the stor-….wait…it wasn't you"

"Well now I wish it was, but no, I didn't leave them"

"Oh…I just assumed it was you…I wonder who it was then…"

"No idea" Nathan answered "So I talked to Lucas last night, he told me what happened, how's Peyton doing?"

"She's a mess Nate, I've never seen her like this, she really thought she was gonna Mrs. Lucas Scott this time…I mean even I really thought that it was finally their time…It was just so sudden…I don't know how he just changed his mind so fast"

"It wasn't as sudden as you think it was" Nathan mumbled quietly

'What do you mean?"

"Nothing…look, I gotta go take Jamie to school, are you still coming by later?"

"Yeah, I'll be there, so tell Tutor mom she can have dinner ready when I get there"

Nathan laughed "I'll tell her…see you later" he said hanging up. "_Flowers huh?"_ he thought to himself

He opened his phone and dialed his brother

"Hey Nate" Lucas answered on the second ring

"Hey Luke…I have a quick question"

"What's up man?"

"Why didn't you sign it?"

"Sign what?" Lucas asked confused

"The flowers"

"The flower-wait how do you know about that…does she know it was me?"

"No, she doesn't, she thought I left them, but I knew exactly who it was" Nathan told him "Why don't you just tell her how you feel"

"Because I just broke up with her best friend…I have to give it some time"

"Don't wait too long big brother…life's too short…Hey, Haley's making the food of the gods later, why don't you come by?"

"Yeah sure, I haven't spent time with her and Jamie in a while, I'll be there"

"See you later then" Nathan said flipping his phone shut

"_Let the games begin"_

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	10. Chapter 10

A/N: My loves, I'm so sorry I took so long to review, this weekend was pretty busy for me, I was all over the place, I'm trying to get this story done by Friday because I have a new idea in my head shout outs 2 my faithful reviewers, I love u guys…prince

_A/N: My loves, I'm so sorry I took so long to review, this weekend was pretty busy for me, I was all over the place, I'm trying to get this story done by Friday because I have a new idea in my head shout outs 2 my faithful reviewers, I love u guys…princesskarlita411, sophi20, brucasfan23, Sophia-chad, teamxxbrucasxx, tanya2byour21, and brucas224, but enough blabbing, here it is…chapter 10…I hope you like it! Remember…Reviewslove so leave me some sugar_

_Oh yeah! One Tree Hill tonight!! I'm so excited_

_Xoxo!_

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Brooke stepped out of her car, and knocked on Nathan and Haley's front door. Nathan pulled it open and she smiled as he pulled her into his arms

"Brooke you look great" he said

"Thanks" she replied looking down at the short blue dress she wore

"I'm really happy you came" he said pulling her inside

"AUNT BROOKE!" Jamie shouted running into her open arms

"Hey buddy"

"I missed you" he said looking up at her

"Aww, I missed you too Jamie"

"Wanna go play video games" he said tugging on her dress

"Jamie, aunt Brooke just got here, why don't you let her settle in for a little while" Nathan said rubbing Jamie's head

"No way, I'd love to play with you buddy" Brooke said throwing her purse onto the couch.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lucas pulled into Nathan and Haley's driveway and smiled as he noticed Brooke's car.

He opened the door and he swore he stopped breathing and his heart skipped a beat as he saw her. She was standing on the sofa along with Jamie, her long hair falling in wild curls down her shoulders, a huge smile on her face, as she held the controller in her hands

"I don't believe you killed me Jamie!" she shouted as she stepped back onto the ground…I thought I was your favorite godmother"

"You're my only godmother Aunt Brooke" Jamie said giggling. He looked up at noticed Lucas standing at the doorway. "Uncle Lucas!" he said running into Lucas' arms.

"Hey Jamie' Lucas said lifting him into his arms "Hey Brooke" he said smiling at her

"Hi Luke"

"Dinner's ready!" Haley called out from the dining room "Come on guys!"

They all walked to the table, and sat down

"This looks great tutor mom" Brooke said as she took a seat between Nathan and Lucas

"Thanks tigger" Haley said smiling "Food of the gods"

They dug in to the big bowl of macaroni and cheese, and Haley and Brooke laughed at Jamie, Nathan and Lucas who were arguing about who had the best jump shot.

"I'm telling you it's me" Lucas said taking a sip of his iced tea

"No one's better than my daddy" Jamie argued

"I agree with Jamie" Nathan said smiling

"Well of course you do, you just don't want to admit that I was always better than you" Lucas said as they all laughed.

"Hey Brooke, how's Peyton?" Nathan asked

"I don't know, I'm really worried about her" she said as the smile faded from her face

"This really broke her"

"I don't want Aunt Peyton to be sad" Jamie said

"Don't' worry buddy, Aunt Brooke is gonna make her good as new, I have a few tricks up my sleeve"

"So are you finally going to marry Aunt Brooke now Uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked

Brooke choked on her iced tea "What did you say Jamie" she asked as Nathan and Haley stifled giggles

"Well Jimmy Jam, I think it's time for you to get ready for bed, come on, let's go get you changed" she said taking his hand as they left the table  
"Wait" Jamie said turning back "I really think you guys should get married, remember Aunt Brooke, people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end"

"Well" Lucas said as Haley and Jamie disappeared out of sight "That's some kid you got there Nate"

"Tell me about it" Nathan answered "Well, I'm gonna go wash the dishes before Haley comes back down".

"Sorry about that" Lucas said as Nathan walked into the kitchen, a stack of plates in his hand

"It's not your fault" she said laughing "He probably just thinks because we're both his godparents that means we should get married"

"Yeah you're probably right" he said "this was fun Cheery; we should hang out more often"

"We will Luke" she said smiling at him

"How about tomorrow" he asked, I said I'd take Jamie to a basketball game, the Lakers are playing the Knicks and I have three tickets, Nate was gonna come but he wants to spend some time alone with Haley so…why don't you come with us?"

"O.K, sounds fun, I'll come" she answered "I think I'm gonna go now, I wanna check on Peyton and I have a few calls to make…Tell Haley I'll call her tomorrow" she said as she grabbed her purse and keys…I'm leaving Nate!" she called out to him "Bye Luke" she said closing the door behind her

"So did she buy it?" Nathan asked sticking his head into the room

"She sure did" Lucas said smiling "I told her you want to spend some time alone with Haley"

"Now all you have to do tomorrow is tell her Jamie's sick with a cold and couldn't come" Nathan said laughing "and we cant' let the tickets go to waste now can we?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"P. Sawyer, I'm home!" Brooke called out throwing her keys on the counter. She walked into the living room and sighed as she saw Peyton, an empty ice cream carton sitting on the table in front of her, staring at the blank television.

"Peyton, why are you just sitting here?" she asked sitting next to her and putting her arms around her "You have to snap out of this"

"He's right"

"Who's right?"

"Lucas"

"About what?"

"I'm not the one for him, we're not meant to be together"

"Oh Peyton" she said as she lay her head on Brooke's shoulder

"I really wish we were though" she said as a tear fell onto her lap

"I know" Brooke said stroking her hair "I know"

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	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey loves, shout out to lexi02 for letting me know it's Camus and not K-moo  …So I realized I told you guys an old character was coming last chap and they never came, sorry about that, but they'll be in this chap, no worries, I think most of you wi

_A/N: Hey loves, shout out to lexi02 for letting me know it's __**Camus **__and not K-moo ____ …So I realized I told you guys an old character was coming last chap and they never came, sorry about that, but they'll be in this chap, no worries, I think most of you will like who it is! But here it is, chapter 11! I hope you like it! Reviews love and as gossip girl says you know you love me! Xoxo!_

Peyton sat on the sofa drawing in her sketchpad. She looked down at what she wrote and frowned…

"_Why am I thinking about you now?"_ she thought to herself

_Knock! Knock!  
_She threw her sketch book onto the coffee table, and slowly walked to the front door. She looked out the peephole and the ground fell from beneath her

"Jake" she whispered opening the door

"Peyton" was all he said as he pulled her into his arms

"W-what are you doing here" she asked holding onto him tightly not wanting to let go

"Someone thought you could use a friend" he said quietly

"Brooke" she whispered

"She told me what happened Peyton" he said "I'm sorry, I know how much you loved him"

"Let's sit" she said as she pulled him to the sofa "I do love Lucas, I love him so much but I'm not in love with him, I was in love with the idea of him, someone who loved me…for me, someone who wasn't gonna leave me, who was gonna be there for me for the rest of my life"

"I guess sometimes we all need somebody" he said taking her hand in his own

"Yeah but people always leave" she said quietly leaning her head on his shoulder

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"_I wonder if Jake's here already"_ Brooke thought to herself. She smiled at the thought of him and Peyton together. _Oh, P. Sawyer, I just know he's gonna pull you out of this?"_

"Hey, you ready?" Lucas asked sticking his head through the door of the shop

"Yeah, I'll be right out" she said grabbing her purse

"Where's Jamie?" she asked looking at the empty back seat.

"He's got a cold, Haley won't let him come" he said "I just figured we should still go since I already had the tickets

"Yeah, yeah we can go, I did say we should hang out more" she said pulling her seatbelt into place. "Let's go watch a basketball game Broody boy"

They drove into the arena, and Lucas quickly found a parking spot. "You look great cheery" he told her as she eased out of the car.

"Thanks" she said glancing down at the Knicks tube top she had made herself with snug dark jeans. They found their seats and Lucas bought them hot dogs and soda. They laughed, and cheered and Brooke couldn't remember the last time she had that much fun.

"I still don't believe what you shouted out to Kobe" Lucas said laughing

"You know it's true, he should have stopped playing for five minutes and seen if anybody else could have scored"

Lucas laughed again

"There's nobody like you Brooke" he said as he opened her car door for her "Nobody quite like you"

"Tell me something I don't know Luke" she said kinking her eyebrow

"I actually do have something to tell you…something did change…with Peyton, I realized why she's not the one for me Brooke…it's always bee-" The loud shrill of Brooke's cell phone interrupted him

"I'm sorry Luke, I have to take this, it might be important" she said apologetically "Brooke Davis" she said into the receiver "You're where? No, no of course, I'll be right there"

"Is everything Okay?" Lucas asked as she flipped her phone shut

"I'm not sure, that was Owen, he's at the store, he said he needs to talk to me now, I'm sorry Luke"

"It's not your fault, I'll get you back there" he said pulling out of the arena

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Owen, what's wrong?" Brooke asked as he pulled her into his arms

God Brooke, I'm so sorry, I've been so stupid"

"What are you talking about?"

"I let you go, because of Angie…and it was stupid…it was stupid because you're an amazing woman with a huge heart, and I don't wanna lose you Brooke" he told her finally pulling away

"You're right…it was a stupid thing to do" Brooke said turning away from him

"Brooke" he said walking towards her and slipping his hands around her waist, let me make it up to you…please"

"O.K" she whispered turning to face him and wrapping her arms around him.

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	12. Author's Note

A/N: Hey guys, so I know that chap was really short, shorter than usual but a lot happened in it, so I figured I'd just let that hold you guys till I update again which might be later tonight or tomorrow morning

_A/N: Hey guys, so I know that chap was really short, shorter than usual but a lot happened in it, so I figured I'd just let that hold you guys till I update again which might be later tonight or tomorrow morning! Don't forget to review, hope you liked the chap and the return of the sexy Jake Jagielski! Reviews love, so leave me some sugar! Xoxo!_


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: Haha, I know you guys hate me right now, lol, but I thought I'd prolong Brucas just a little bit longer, no worries, I hate writing Browen so they won't last long

_A/N: Haha, I know you guys hate me right now, lol, but I thought I'd prolong Brucas just a little bit longer, no worries, I hate writing Browen so they won't last long! But here we go, chapter 12! Remember, reviews love so leave me some sugar! Xoxo!  
_

Lucas flipped open his cell phone and dialed Brooke's number.

"Hey Luke" she said after only the second ring

"Brooke, is everything O.K?"

"Yeah, I should have called, everything's fine"

"Right, I just wanted to make sure" Lucas said quietly

"Thanks for calling Luke, I gotta go, I'll see you later"

"_Damn it"_ Lucas muttered to himself as he threw his phone onto his bed.

x-x-x

How's Jenny? Peyton asked Jake from where she lay on his lap

"She's great; she's with my mom right now"

"Wait! She's here in Tree Hill, I didn't know you brought here with you"

Well that's the second part to my surprise, I'm staying Peyton…for good…I'm not going back to Savannah, I'm tired of running, tree Hill is my home"

"I don't believe it" Peyton said sitting up "Jake, that's great, I'm really happy for you" she said pulling him into a tight embrace.

"P. Sawyer, I'm home!" They heard Brooke call out

"In here Brooke" Peyton shouted out to her

"Peyton, you wouldn't believe wha-Ahh! Jake!" she squealed jumping into his arms and placing a loud kiss on his cheek. "Whatever are you doing here?" she asked flashing her dimples

"Don't even try it Brooke Davis, I know you called him" Peyton said laughing

"Oh Peyton, look at that" Brooke said quietly

"Look at what?" she asked confused

"Your smile's back" I really missed it P. Sawyer" she said squeezing Peyton's hand in her own

"Thanks for calling him Brooke, Jake was just the friend I needed right now, and only my best friend would know that"

"Well, I'm gonna leave you guys alone, I have some sketches to finish up" 'she said walking toward her bedroom "its good having you back Jake"

"It's great to be back Brooke, thanks for making me realize what I was missing" he said smiling at her "There's nowhere else in the world like this place."

x-x-x

"Come on Jamie, I'm gonna be late!" Haley called out grabbing her purse and keys

"Where are we going again Momma?" Jamie asked holding his basketball tightly with both his hands.

"I have to meet Aunt Peyton at the studio and you're going by Aunt Brooke"

"Oh yeah, I love going by Aunt Brooke" Jamie said happily as he climbed into the backseat of the car.

"Aunt Brooke!" Jamie shouted as he ran into her open arms

"Hey buddy" she said lifting him off the ground

"I'm late tigger, I'll see you guys later" she called out closing the door behind her

"You feel better buddy?" she asked as she set Jamie back on the ground

"From what?" Jamie asked confused

"Your cold"

"I didn't have a cold Aunt Brooke; momma makes me drink orange juice every day so I don't get one"

"But I thought your unc-wait a minute; I need to make an important phone call buddy, why don't you go watch some T.V"

"O.K"

Brooke flipped open her phone and dialed Nathan's number

"Brooke…what's wrong? Are you O.K? Is it Jamie?" Nathan asked worriedly

"No, calm down, we're both fine"

"Should I give Jamie any medicine for his cold, or did he take it before he left?"

His cold, what are you talking ab- Oh, Oh, his cold, of course, well, yeah he took it before he left"

"Give it up Scott" Brooke said "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on, I just thought you and Lucas should hang out more and I knew you wouldn't do it on your own so I thought I'd give you a little push"

"I don't need you pushing me Nate"

"I know, and I'm sorry but I know you had fun"

"That's not the point; anyway, I have something to tell you"

"What's up?"

"Owen came to the shop yesterday, he said he was sorry for leaving me when I got Angie, and that he didn't want to lose me, and asked for a second chance"

"So what did he say when you told him no"

"I didn't say no Nate"

"Brooke, the guy's a jerk, he didn't even give it a try before he split, you deserve better than him"

"Maybe I do, but I won't know if I don't give it a chance"

"Fine Brooke, give it a chance, but be careful, you already have enough to deal with without this asshole giving you trouble"

"I'll be fine Nate"

"O.K, listen I gotta get back to practicing, I'll see you later"

"O.K Bye" she said flipping her phone shut and throwing it in her purse "O.K James Lucas Scott, let's go make us some clothes"

x-x-x-

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Peyton called out as the doorbell rang a third time. She pulled it open and stood face to face with Lucas

"Uhh…Hi" he said nervously

"Hey" she said leaning against the doorway

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah…sure" she said moving aside so he could step past her "Have a seat" she said pointing to the sofa

"Look Peyton, I'm sorry, you didn't deserve the way I broke up with you…I told you I loved you, and I wanted to be with you before I asked myself if that's what I really wanted and it was stupid and selfish"

"You're right"

"Is there anyway you can find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"I think I already have Luke…you're right, we're not meant to be together, and I think I always knew it, I just didn't want to admit it"

"Wow, I didn't expect that" Lucas said smiling

"Let's just say I've had a lot of time to think" Peyton said laughing

"So is it possible for us to be friends Peyton"

"Of course it is Luke…I wish we could start now but I'm supposed to be meeting Haley at the studio to listen to an artist and I'm late"

"It's O.K" we'll talk later" he said as they headed for the door

"I'm really happy that I didn't lose you Peyton" he said taking her hand in his

"Me too Luke" she said pulling him into her arms for a hug. Neither of them saw the small silver car with the baby seat in the back drive past.

"I'll see you later" Lucas said walking to his car

x-x-x

"Hey gorgeous"

"Hey you" Brooke said letting herself be pulled into Owen's embrace

"You look beautiful Brooke" he said letting his gaze linger on the dark blue dress that fell right above her knees.

"Thanks" she said grabbing her small purse "You don't look so bad yourself

They drove to the restaurant in silence and Brooke couldn't help but think there were never dull moments like this when she was with Lucas. They pulled into the parking lot, and Owen got out and opened Brooke's door for her, she smiled at him as he pulled out her chair, and they sat at the table

"Why are you doing this Owen?" she asked "Why now?"

He looked up from the menu and took her hand across the table.

"I've hated myself every day since I let you go Brooke, I didn't even give her a chance, I didn't give you a chance"

"You never even saw her Owen…you never knew what she meant to me"

"And I'm so sorry for that Brooke"

"Let's just move on from there…what have you been doing…"

x-x-x

"Yeah, it's open, come on in" Jake called out

"Hey" Peyton said stepping into his living room "I've been calling"

"Yeah, I know, sorry…I was busy"

"Oh….is everything O.K? You seem a little distant"

"I'm fine" he said

"I thought maybe we could go out to dinner, maybe you could bring Jenny"

"Why Peyton?"

"I-well, I want to spend time with you, with Jenny"

"What about Lucas?"

"O.K, do you have short term memory loss or something, Lucas and I broke up, remember?"

"You're not back together?"

"No, why would we be back together?"

"Well, I passed by this morning and I saw you two hugging"

"Oh, well we made up, we're friends again, just friends…My heart doesn't' belong to Lucas, it belongs to someone else"

"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked smiling at her

"Come have dinner with me and maybe I'll introduce you" she said taking his hand

"You got a deal"

x-x-x


	14. Chapter 13

Lucas stepped out of his car and walked up the pathway to Brooke's house; he knocked on the door and waited

_A/N: Hey loves, someone pointed out that Jenny wasn't a baby anymore so Jake shouldn't have had a baby seat in the car…sorry about that, my bad; let's just say in this fic, Jenny's only one! Thanks for all the reviews, only two more chapters after this one, I hope you like it. Remember reviews equal love so leave me some sugar! Xoxo!_

Lucas stepped out of his car and walked up the pathway to Brooke's house; he knocked on the door and waited. He didn't hear any noise from the inside so he tried to peek through the window to see if he saw anyone coming. He couldn't see anything so he turned to leave. Just when he was about to open the door to his car, he heard a car pulling up. His hand tightened on the doorknob when he saw Owen step out, and open Brooke's door for her. She smiled at Owen when he laced their fingers together, and giggled at something he whispered in her ear. Right when Lucas had seen enough and was about to get in his car, she saw him

"Luke! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were O.K" he said quietly

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine" she said "You remember Owen right?"

"Yeah, how are you man?" he asked taking Owen's outstretched hand

"I have to go babe" Owen said grabbing Brooke's waist "I'll see you tomorrow" he said bending down and kissing her on the lips. Lucas looked away

"See you tomorrow" Brooke said pulling away from him

"So, you wanna come in for a little bit?" Brooke asked walking towards the front door fumbling in her purse for her keys

"Yeah, sure"

She opened the door, and Lucas sat on the sofa. "So, Owen?"

"yeah, she said putting her purse on the counter, and sitting next to him "When I met up with him after the game, he said he was sorry for not giving Angie a chance, and he wanted a second chance"

"He doesn't deserve you Brooke"

"Damn it, I wish everyone would stop saying that, who does deserve me Lucas, because I don't know so I'm going to give Owen a chance, and I'll make the decision if he deserves me or not" she said angrily

"I'm sorry Brooke, I didn't want to make you mad, I was just trying to look out for you"

" I know you were, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I just want to be happy, and if Owen can make me happy then I want to give him a try"

"_I want to make you happy pretty girl"_ he thought to himself

"I want you to be happy too Brooke" was all he said "I'm happy for you"

"Thanks Luke"

"I'm going to go, I told Lily I'd spend some time with her…Be careful O.K Brooke"

"I will, don't worry" she said smiling as he walked to the door and closed it quietly behind her.

x-x-x

"_Hey you"_

"_Oh, I think you got the wrong car"_

"_Nah, don't mind me, I just have to get out of this uniform, so anyway I'm Brooke but probably knew that, so can I tell you that last shot was awesome, how did it feel? Good huh? You know it did…Oh my gosh!"_

_**That game wasn't horrible**_

_**Thanks Coach**_

_**Well don't turn pro yet, drag your scrawny but to the weight room twice a day starting now**_

_**You got it**_

_**Oh, by the way there's a half naked girl in the back seat of your car, I just thought you'd like to know**_

"_Grouchy…So anyway you're in it now aren't you…when that last shot went through, did you feel it change?_

_Feel what change?"_

_Everything. I mean how many moments in life can you point to and say that's when it all changed? But don't worry baby, the popularity thing's not so bad"_

x-x-x

"Lucas! What are you doing?" Lily asked as the memory faded

"Just thinking about some things" he answered

"What kinda things?"

"Grown up stuff"

"Momma says I'm a big kid, so you can tell me grown up stuff" Lucas laughed and picked her up and put her on his lap.

"O.K"

"I like this girl but I don't think she likes me back"

"It's Brooke right?"

"How did you know?" Lucas asked confused

"Everyone knows you love Brooke Lucas" she said rolling her eyes "but I think you should tell her how you feel before you lose her again"

"I think I already have" he said quietly

"Don't' be sad Luke, remember what Brooke always says people who are meant to be together always find their way when it's finished"

"In the end "Lucas said laughing "People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end…Thanks Lily" he said as she lay on his chest "You're my favorite little sister"

"I'm your only little sister" Lily said giggling

x-x-x

"Brooke, are you here?" Peyton called out

"Yeah, I'm in the bedroom" Brooke shouted to her "Hey best friend"

"Hey" Peyton said sitting next to her on the bed "These look great Brooke" she said picking up one of the finished sketches that lay in front of Brooke

"Thanks P. Sawyer…So how's Jake?"

"He's great, we're taking things slow"

"That's great Peyton, I'm really happy you're back, because that bitchy depressing Peyton was getting annoying" she said smirking

"Thanks B. Davis, none of this would be happening without you"

"That's what friends are for, right?"

"So what about you and Owen?" she asked

"He's a great guy; he's smart, sweet, funny"

"It sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself"

"I'm not, I'm happy Peyton"

"That's all I want, I want you to be happy because for the first time in a long time I'm really happy Brooke"

x-x-x

"Hey Hales"

"Hey Luke" she said looking up from the papers she was grading "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, I just wanted to come and visit my best friend" he said

"Yeah sure, now tell me what's wrong"

"Did you hear about Brooke and Owen?"

"Yeah, Nathan told me…so are you finally ready to admit it to me?"

"Admit what?"

"That you're in love with Brooke"

"O.K, you're right, I'm in love with her"

"Well it's about damn time Lucas Scott…so now what are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do, she's with Owen, and I don't think she feels the same way about me"

"I know Brooke; don't be so sure on how she feels, she's almost as stubborn as you when it comes to her heart….don't give up on her Luke"

x-x-x

"Hey beautiful" Peyton cooed to Jenny as she crawled onto her lap

"You're great with her" Jake said from where he sat across the room

"She makes it hard not to be" she said

"Peyton I want to marry you"

"What!" Peyton asked dropping the rattle she held in her hand

"I want you to be my wife"

"Jake you were the one who said we should take things slow; I don't think getting married is taking it slow"

"I know" he said walking towards her "I lied, I don't want to wait, I want to go to sleep next to you every night, and wake up next to you every morning. I want you to have my last name, I want you to be Jenny's mom, I want you to be mine forever Peyton"

"Oh my god" she said as he got down on one knee

"Peyton Sawyer, will you marry me?"

She swiped at the tears that were falling from her eyes "Yes….yes, yes, yes" she said as he lifted her off the ground and buried his face in her hair

"I'll never let you go"

"You never have to"


	15. Chapter 14

A/N:  One more chapter after this my loves, I don't believe it's finally coming to an end, thanks for the awesomeness that are your reviews

_A/N: ____ One more chapter after this my loves, I don't believe it's finally coming to an end, thanks for the awesomeness that are your reviews! I hope you like it, don't forget to leave me some sugar! Xoxo!_

"I thought you said you were taking it slow!" Brooke said

"I know, that was the plan but he said he loved me and he didn't want to wait" Peyton told her

"Ahhh! This is amazing P. Sawyer!" Brooke squealed "I am so happy for you!"

"Thanks Brooke, I don't believe I'm getting married…again" she laughed

"Yeah well I think this time's going to be a little different" Brooke said smiling and pulling her into a tight hug

x-x-x

"Hey Peyton" Lucas said picking up his phone after the second ring "What's up?"

"Hey Luke…I have some good news…some really good news, Jake and I are engaged."

"I just found out Jake was back this morning, and you're engaged….wow…that was pretty fast"

"Yeah, but I think I've always known it was Jake, I just didn't want to admit it to myself"

"Well…I'm happy for you"

"Thank you Luke, I just want you to know that a part of my heart will always lie with you"

"I'm really happy for you Peyton, you deserve to be happy"

" I know you'll find someone who makes you happy too"

"_I've already found her"_

x-x-x

"Peyton Sawyer, did you call Nathan and Tutor mom?"

"Yes Brooke, I called them" Peyton told her sitting across from her in the restaurant booth

"Then where the heck are they?" she said loudly

"Calm down Brooke" Lucas said

"You were late too Broody, so don't tell me to calm down" she snapped at him

"Sorry he said" as Peyton stifled giggles

"I'm so sorry we're late tigger, Deb took forever to come back home" Haley said sliding into the booth next to Lucas.

"Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses…sit down and let's get to work"

"Now, I'm thinking since Peyton chose blue last time, we should keep that as an accent color, Jake are you O.K with that?"

"Of course, anything Peyton wants is fine with me" he said taking her hand across the table.

"Great" she said smiling

"Now about the menu..."

_I don't like you guys to see me like this…vulnerable_

_It's how I always see you Brooke…and you're beautiful_

_Hey Luke, we've been through a lot, me and you but I wouldn't have made it through today or a couple of other days without you so thanks…this is for you (__**gives him Angie's purple monkey) **__I love you Lucas Scott, you know that?_

_I love you too Brooke Davis._

"Damn it, Lucas, you're not even listening to me" Brooke said loudly pulling Lucas out of his daydream

"When you said you loved me, did you mean it?

"What the hell are you talking about? She asked confused

"When you gave me Angie's monkey, you said you loved me, did you mean it?

"Of course I meant it, I'll always love you Luke"

"No, not like you love Nathan, or Mouth or-"

"What are you doing Lucas?" Peyton blurted out interrupting him

"I love you" he said his gaze never leaving Brooke "I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis"

"You bastard" Peyton whispered slipping out of the booth and slamming the restaurant door behind her

"Look Lucas, I don't know what exactly it is you're trying to pull here, but it needs to stop" Brooke said quietly "I'm going after Peyton"

"Well" Nathan said "That was definitely the way to do it big brother"

"Oh shut up Nathan" Haley said taking Lucas' hand across the table "Just give her some time Luke, give them both some time"

x-x-x

"Peyton, wait up!" Brooke called out

"Do you love him?" she said loudly turning to face Brooke

"I-you-no…no of course I don't love him"

"Damn it, don't lie to me Brooke…do you love him?"

"I-I don't know" she whispered "I don't want to"

"But you do"

"Yes"

"Oh god" Peyton said sitting on a small bench

"I'm so sorry Peyton"

"_Alright, Umm, Imagine a future moment in your life where all your dreams come true, you know…it's the greatest moment in your life and you get to experience it with one person…who's standing next to you?_

"_Brooke"_

"It's you" Peyton said as the memory faded "He wants you standing next to him when all his dreams come true" she said softly

"Peyton…"

"I'm not mad Brooke…the heart can't help who it wants"

"I couldn't do this to you Peyton"

"Brooke…you can't not do this" she said squeezing her hand

x-x-x

"Hey you" Nathan said sitting next to Brooke "you've been here for the past hour ….don't you think it's time to go"

"What are you still doing here?"

"I'm not leaving you, I thought maybe you wanted some time for yourself but you've had enough of that…now it's time to get up and go after what you want"

"I don't know what I want Nate" she whispered as he pulled her into his arms

"Can you spend the rest of your life without him?"

"_You told me to fight for you and I did…but you never fought for me"_

"Brooke…are you willing to spend the rest of your life without him?"

"No" she whispered

"Then go get him"_  
_


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: So I know you guys hate me, you have every right, I've been really busy, and when I do update I give you a short chap like this one's gonna be..I'm sorry my loves, this is just something to tie you guys over, it won't be as long a wait as last time, I promise, but gimme a couple days, I'll have the last chap up by the weekend, I promise! Don't forget to click that little purple button on the bottom of your screen and leave me a review…xoxo!

x-x-x

"_Looking for me?"_

_Uhh...sorta_

_How come_

_I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out, grab some food keep it casual_

_Casual's good_

_Have a seat..._

_This is gonna work right?_

_What's that?_

_Us…dating…nothing serious_

_Working for me…how bout you_

_Absolutely …it's good…so when are we gonna get to that kissing part anyway_

_I'd say right about now if you know what's good for ya_

x-x-x

"Brooke, you said you had to talk to me" Owen said again pulling Brooke out of her daydream

"Yeah, I'm sorry; I just have a lot on my mind"

"What's going on Brooke?"

"This was a bad idea Owen" she said softly

"What was a bad idea?"

"This…me and you…us"

"What are you saying Brooke?"

"Look Owen, I care about you, I always will but we're not meant to be, I'm not the one for you, and I think deep inside you know I'm right"

"Maybe we just need to take it slow" he said taking her hand in his

"It's too late Owen" she said "I'm sorry

x-x-x

"_I just wanted to have a special night with you to thank you for getting me into Rogue Vogue_

_What's Rogue Vogue?_

_The fashion show in New York…hello! I know you sent my application in…unless you didn't, but if it wasn't you, who else would it be_

_I wish it was me, sounds pretty cool, I should know you well enough to do something like that_

_Well don't feel bad, I guess I'm not exactly encyclopedia Luketanicca, I thought it was you_

_Well you know if we wanna know each other better, we could always talk about those letters_

_Or you could cut put my heart and stomp on it_

_Brooke, I love those letters, the girl in them is so open and honest_

_I don't know why it's so easy for me to get naked one way and not the other_

_I do…I hurt you pretty bad…I'm not gonna do it again_

_**Hands him the box of letters**_

_You're sure?_

_Yes…_

x-x-x

"Why don't you call her?" Nathan said softly to Lucas as the memory faded

"I've tried; she won't return any of my phone calls"

"What about Peyton" Nathan asked

"She won't talk to me either; I don't know what to do Nate"

"Like Haley said, give them some time"

"It's been a week, how much more time do they need?" he snapped

"I don't know Luke, but maybe you should have thought of that before you blurted out you loved her in front of everybody"

"You're right" he said softly "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you"

"It's O.K; I know you feel like crap right now…if it makes you feel any better, I walked in on my mom and Skills this morning, let's just say I lost my appetite immediately"

"At least they're happy man" Lucas said smiling

x-x-x

"Brooke Penelope Davis! Open this door, and open it now" Brooke heard Haley shout from the other end of the door

"I'm coming, I'm coming" called out as she trudged to pull the door open

"You've been locked up in here for a week Brooke, don't you think it's time to go back out into the world, don't you think it's time to work up some guts and get the guy"

"I'm scared tutor mom" she whispered

"Come here" Haley said pulling her into her arms "we all get a little scared sometimes, but that doesn't mean we don't go after what we want…he's the guy for you Brooke…it's your time…don't let it slip away

x-x-x


	17. Chapter 16

"Peyton" Lucas said surprised to see her standing at his door

"Peyton" Lucas said surprised to see her standing at his door

"We need to talk" she answered

"Sure, come on in" he said opening the door wider so she could enter "Look, I know you're probably still mad at me and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blurted out how I felt in front of everybody like that, but I'm not sorry for how I feel because I can't help that, I can't help that I love her Peyton"

"I know Luke…and I'm not mad…well not anymore, I understand that you love her, I think you always did…you're my soul mate Luke, you always were, you always will be, but Brooke's the one for you…I know that now…don't let her slip through your fingers" she said taking his hand in hers

"I'm trying but she won't even answer my calls"

"Don't give up"

x-x-x

Brooke groaned as she looked at the I.D of her ringing cell phone

"Hello Victoria" she mumbled into the receiver

"Hello Brooke, I just want to let you know since the company is officially mine, you can no longer use the brand clothes over bros in anything you do, the lawyers are going to send you a contract stating the regulations, but I thought I'd call you and let you know it was coming"

"How sweet of you" Brooke answered angrily "Is that all?"  
"That's all" she answered

"Well, I'd appreciate if you didn't use this number again" Brooke said before flipping her phone shut

"What was that about?" Peyton asked as she walked through the door

"Oh nothing, just Victoria calling to let me know I can no longer use the trademark Clothes over Bros on anything else I do"

"Oh B. Davis, I'm sorry" she said sitting next to her on the sofa

"It's O.K; I'm just surprised she didn't do it sooner"

x-x-x

"Momma, can we go see Aunt Brooke" Jamie said to Haley as she sat on the couch a pile of papers spread out in front of her

"We just saw Aunt Brooke yesterday buddy, I really have to finish grading these papers" she answered

"I know, but I really have to tell her something" Jamie insisted

"Can't we just call her" Haley asked pulling her cell phone out of her pocket

"No Momma" he whined "I have to tell her this face to face"

"O.K, O.K" she said grabbing her keys "Let's go"

"Yay! I'm gonna go grab Chester, I told Aunt Brooke I'd bring him next time we came over"

"So what's so important you have to tell Aunt Brooke right now?" Haley asked as they got into the car

"You'll see" he said smiling

x-x-x

"Yeah, I'm coming" Peyton called out as the doorbell rang a second time "Jamie!" she said smiling as she picked him up into her arms

"Hi Aunt Peyton"

"Hey bud," she said putting him back down on the ground "Hey Hales, what's up? She asked as Haley walked in and closed the door

"Hey Peyton… Jamie really wanted to talk to his Aunt Brooke so here we are"

"Is that my favorite godson in the whole wide world?" Brooke said smiling as Jamie ran into her arms

"Hey Aunt Brooke"

"Hey buddy" she said as she hugged him tightly "What's up tutor mom, I thought you said you had a lot of work to do" she said glancing up at Haley

"I did, your godson here said he needed to talk to you and it couldn't wait"

"Is that so? What's on your mind buddy?"

"Do you love Uncle Lucas?"

"Whoa, well that's a complicated question, I-wait a minute; did your uncle Lucas put you up to this?" She asked angrily?

"No, but do you love him, do you really love him?"

"Why do you wanna know Jamie?" she asked softly

"Because he really loves you, he slept over last night and I heard him and daddy talking about you"

"What were they saying?"

"Daddy was telling him that you're stubborn and he shouldn't stop trying because you would come around"

"I'm not stubborn" Brooke mumbled under her breath

"Oh yes you are" Haley and Peyton both said at the same time

"Gee, thanks guys" she muttered "Look Jamie, it's complicated, I care about your uncle Lucas a lot but I don't know if we belong together"

"Yes you do, it's not complicated, mommy belongs with daddy, aunt Peyton belongs with uncle Jake, and you belong with Uncle Lucas, it's not Rocket Science Aunt Brooke" he said as Haley and Peyton both stifled giggles

"I need some time to think about it buddy…but thanks for coming to talk to me"

"Don't forget Aunt Brooke, people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end"

x-x-x

"Yeah, gimme a sec" Lucas shouted pulling on his jacket "Brooke" he said softly as he opened the door to find her standing on the other end "I was just going to your house, I was gonna tell you we had to talk and I wasn't taking no for an answer"

"Looks like I beat you to it huh?" she said smiling

"Come inside, its cold out there"

"Look Luke, I'm sorry I've been ignoring your calls but I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all"

"I understand, look, I'm sorry for piling it all on you like I did, I shouldn't have done that but I couldn't help it"

"Let's just move on from there" she said quietly

"I love you Brooke, I've loved you from the moment you popped up in my backseat"

"Are you sure Luke, It just seems every time we try something gets in our way"

"It wasn't our time then, it's our time now, I can feel it…I'm the guy for you remember?" he said taking a step towards her

"Wait Lucas" she said stepping back "I didn't come here to tell you we can be together because I don't know if we can"

"Brooke"

"I came to tell you I need some more time…I can't just drop everything and run into your arms Lucas, I'm still with Owen remember?"

"He will never love you like I do" Lucas said taking her hand "He can't"

"I just need some more time" she said pulling her hand away from his

"Fine, take your time, I'm not going anywhere, I'll wait for you forever if I have to"

"I'm gonna go" she said turning towards the door

"I love you pretty girl" he said softly as she walked out the door

x-x-x


End file.
